Lionel Messi scored two goals to lead Inter Miami over Nashville SC 3-1 in Game 1 of the first round of the MLS playoffs.

Messi opened the scoring with a diving header in the first half, then capped the scoring in the 96th minute as Inter Miami opened the Major League Soccer playoffs with a 3-1 win over Nashville SC in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference best-of-three first-round series on Friday night.

Inter Miami’s playoff opener against Nashville was sparsely attended in an example of what has become a wider trend.

Lionel Messi received the Golden Boot trophy ahead of Inter Miami’s Major League Soccer (MLS) play-off opener against Nashville. The 38-year-old proved why he deserved the award as he recorded two

El astro argentino abrió el marcador con una palomita en el primer tiempo y cerró la cuenta a los 96 minutos, para que el Inter Miami iniciara los playoffs de la MLS con una victoria de 3-1 sobre Nashville en el primer partido de un máximo de tres, en su serie de primera ronda de la Conferencia Este..

Messi magic in Game One! 💥 What a start for @InterMiamiCF. // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/6ugOORVHGT Miami were able to ride that goal to a halftime lead, which put them 45 minutes closer to defeating Nashville SC in this best-of-three series,

Messi was named a finalist for the MVP award Thursday along with Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga, San Diego’s Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC), Cincinnati’s Evander and Nashville’s Sam Surridge. The award is expected to be handed out before the MLS Cup final on Dec. 6.

Soccer legend Lionel Messi says “the decision was easy” when it came to extending his contract with Inter Miami through the 2028 Major League Soccer season. The World Cup champion sat down in a rare and exclusive interview with NBC Nightly News’ Tom Llamas just days before the announcement,

Former Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez proved themselves decisive in getting Inter Miami’s playoff campaign up and running in positive fashion in the early hours of Saturday.The